Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has issued a provocative statementa directly linking nuclear deterrence to regime survival, asserting that the United States is only able to “kidnap” heads of state because those nations lack nuclear weapons.
The comment was made during a televised address on January 26, 2026, and represents a sharp escalation in Lula’s criticism of the recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Lula had already condemned the raid as “crossing an unacceptable line” and a blatant violation of international sovereignty. In his latest remarks, he went further, arguing that non-nuclear states are uniquely vulnerable to American intervention and regime-change operations.
“The United States can only kidnap presidents because those countries do not have nuclear weapons. When a nation possesses the ultimate deterrent, the rules change. No one dares cross that line. This is the grim lesson the Global South must learn if it wishes to preserve its sovereignty.”
Lula’s statement implies that the possession of weapons of mass destruction may be the only reliable shield against superpower-backed “regime change” efforts. While he stopped short of explicitly calling for Brazil to develop nuclear weapons, the remarks have reignited long-standing debates within the Brazilian government and military circles about the potential necessity of a nuclear deterrent for national defense.
The comments come at a time when Latin America remains officially a nuclear-weapons-free zone under the 1967 Treaty of Tlatelolco, which Brazil has long championed. However, Lula’s words have raised serious concerns about the risk of a new nuclear arms race in the region, especially as geopolitical tensions rise across the Global South amid U.S. actions in Venezuela and ongoing disputes involving territorial ambitions in the Arctic.
By: Richard Matong
Source: History of all Southern African Tribes
